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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Open Water Swimmer - Sabrina Devonshire

Welcome to BRB, sweeties! It's Wednesday, which means I've posted an author interview. This time I have fellow eXtasy Books author Sabrina Devonshire here. Lovely lady, with talent to spare. And what a great cover, Sabrina. Thank you for joining me today. Please tell us about yourself.

I live in Tucson, Arizona with my husband, two teens and fluffy
chow-chow.I started writing
mystery novels when was eight-years-old and this unleashed a passion for
writing that’s burned in my blood ever since. I work as a fitness professional
at a world-renowned resort and an active adult community and do freelance
magazine work at home. Most of my published articles are health and fitness
related. The Open Water Swimmer is my first novel.My favorite hobby is swimming. Most days I seek an endorphin
rush in the pool early in the morning and anytime I can escape to the ocean, I
do and pack swim suits and not much else.

Where and/or how do you find the greatest inspiration?

I always find my best inspiration when
I’m in or around water. I could be swimming laps in the pool or walking along
the beach or just hearing the sound of waves crashing on the sand.

What made you chose to write romantic literature in particular? And, is
there any other genre you’d like to write? And, if so, why?

I attended a memoir
writing workshop in Prague in 2007 and a fellow writer commented favorably on
the more sensual parts of my work and said I’d make a good romance writer. I
noticed the more I wrote sex scenes, the more I enjoyed writing them. And
moving through the water is a very sensual experience so I rarely swim without having
a sex scene pop into my head. Beyond romance and my magazine work, I enjoy
writing memoir, but am not so sure I’d like to deal with the harsh criticism of
my personal life that might go along with publishing this kind of work.

Which appears first when contemplating a new project: a character, the
plot or the title?

This really depends. With The Open Water Swimmer, my male
protagonist was in my head night and day and I wasn’t sure why and then one day
I just knew I had to write his story. In Message from Viola Mari (coming soon),
a segment of humorous dialogue between the male and female protagonist hit me
first and I crafted the story around that. The title is always the most
difficult for me and usually comes last.

What’s the hardest part of a novel for you to write: beginning, middle
or end? Why?

The middle is hardest for me because by the time I get there, I
know where I’m going and am so eager to get there, I sometimes rush and have to
go back again to really craft it well.

Has your own life influenced your novels? If so, how?

Absolutely.
You’ll almost always find beachside settings and/or swimmers and other athletes
in my books. I also like quirky, not-so-smooth characters that remind me of
people I know—expect to see writers and scientists (I also have an M.S. in
geology) in my stories.

Writing sex/romantic scenes can be a challenge for some authors. Do
you find it difficult? If yes, how do you compensate? If no, where do you draw
your inspiration?

Writing sex scenes come easy to me as long as I’m feeling
healthy and vibrant at the time. Regular high-intensity exercise and the great
relationship I have with my husband really help fuel the fire. I’m not afraid
to write a graphic scene, but I’m not one for kink or groups. I’m writing for
readers who think one on one is sufficiently spicy.

Do you use a certain formula to write the sensual parts? Do you prefer
the sex to be open and bold? Or left to the imagination?

There’s no formula for
any of my writing—if I feel it, I write it. I’ve been writing open and bold
lately, but Daphne DuMaurier’s Frenchman’s Creek is one of my all-time romantic
favorites and the sex, although implied, is never described and left to the
reader’s imagination.

Who is your favourite character, which you’ve created? And, why?

I’d
have to say my favorite character is Jeff Dickson from in The Open Water
Swimmer. Because I stayed up nights before committing to write his story, I
felt very protective of him, like I had to do his character justice. He’s got
the competitive drive to win I’ve always had as a competitive swimmer and is a
quirky introvert like me. I really had a blast describing the thoughts he had
in his head when he was racing. It made me long to rush out and compete.

Tell us about your newest release:

The Open Water Swimmer is a
romantic sports suspense. Recurring dreams about an elite ocean swimmer
drowning during a race leads children’s mystery writer, Dana Thomas, to abandon
a lukewarm relationship to attend a series of races to learn if her dream man
exists. Her
plan to remain objective makes a serious splashdown when she meets her
"mission," a towering blue-eyed man with the best cut set of
pectorals she's ever seen. Going incognito as a feeding station volunteer
for FINA World Cup series races, Dana travels to Greece, Portugal, Honduras,
and Tunisia to try to protect him. When heat between the pair sizzles, Dana
falls hopelessly in love with this man destined to die.

Elite open water swimmer and former Navy fighter pilot Jeff Dickson believes his driven
personality and international travel schedule can't mix with love. When he
meets Dana, he's instantly attracted to her voluptuous body and mysterious
personality. When Jeff learns she's been stalking him for weeks at
swimming races, he decides she must be psycho.

A series of fateful
events before the final race lead Dana to believe her nightmare is about to
unfold. Anticipating a dive-in and rescue scenario, Dana is shocked to
discover that's only the beginning.

Just for fun–

What is your favourite colour? Blue of course J

Which do you prefer a great hero or a great villain? Hero

What is your favourite movie? And, why? Ever After. What’s more
romantic than a Cinderella story?

If you could be anyone in the world who would it be? And, why?
Sometimes I think I’d like be swimmer extraordinaire Karlyn Pipes-Neilson,
partly because she holds Masters world records in almost every swimming event,
but mostly because she lives in Hawaii and has daily access to the ocean. But
most of the time, I’m terribly grateful for the life I have. I am very blessed
to be healthy, have a partnership with a loving husband, and be surrounded by
such a supportive family. I feel like I’m living the dream, working as a
fitness professional and magazine/novel writer. I really enjoy helping people
and aspire in my fitness and writing work to make a positive impact on peoples’
lives.

Where do you see your writing career in the next five to ten years? I
plan to continue publishing magazine articles and publish at least one novel
annually (I’m hopeful my second book will be released before year’s end). My
readers can expect something new and fresh from every book I put out there. I
don’t want to ever rush to finish something for the sake of just getting one
more book on the market.

The elite swimmer Dana’s destined to fall in love with
is also destined to die. Can she change his fate?

Excerpt:

The
starting gun sounded and Jeff sprinted into the ocean, kicking water everywhere
until the density of the water overcame him and it was more efficient to swim
than run. A fingernail jabbed his calf. A toe struck his face, partially
filling his goggles with water. He slapped arms with another swimmer on a
recovery. Jeff plowed through the water with all the gusto he could muster to
break away from the mass. He planned to tag along behind the lead pack after he
freed himself from the mire.

He kicked harder, propelling his body through
the water like a speedboat. This is more like it, he thought, as surrounding
swimmers dropped back. Soon, only the five swimmers he expected to see
remained. The lead pack. Mark matched him stroke for stroke as they drafted off
of Mike Hammel, the leader. Jeff felt a tap on his toe. Andy McCleery.

You have to keep a cool head to push yourself
to the max for almost two hours. Every swimmer was in top physical condition.
The man who crossed that finish line first would be the one who shut down the
chatter inside his head that taunted him with my arms ache, my legs are
cramping, or I can’t handle that searing pain in my lungs for another second
and kept on plowing through the water like there was no tomorrow. Jeff wanted to
be that man.

Jeff swam in the wake of bubbles behind
Mike’s feet—his perceived effort much easier with the draft. Jeff felt strong
and powerful. Like Hercules. This is why I keep coming back. On land, the world
is a crazy, chaotic place. Here, it all comes down to the water and me.

He felt the most like himself in the ocean.
Once he got into the rhythm of his stroke and turned up the heat, he felt like
anything was possible. Winning the race. Qualifying for the London Olympic
Games in 2012. Winning a gold medal.

After three laps around the course, Jeff knew
it was time to turn it up. He had 2.5 kilometers left to pass the leader and
duke out the sprint to the finish line with the toughest members of the field.
Jeff passed Mike, but Mark was right with him. I can do it, Jeff told himself.
He surged a little ahead of Mark, but it didn’t last for long.

Mark caught right up with him again and they
swam so close together, Jeff heard Mark’s winded breathing and their fingers
smacked together more than once. Jeff fought to push through the pain.

A burning heaviness overwhelmed his limbs.
Fire surged down his throat with each breath. But he never lost sight of what
he wanted. He wanted to win. So he never backed down. He pushed, pushed, pushed
with only meters left until the finish. Come on, come on. Get it done. He took
twenty strokes without a breath, only lifting his head to slap the touch pad.

Thank you, Sandy. Although all the credit for the awesome book cover goes to Carmen Waters! I write what I love and the water is my world. Open water swimming is a really exciting sport I wanted to share with readers.

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ABOUT ME

Blak Rayne is a best selling author of gay romance. She loves to write and believes it's one of the greatest forms of self-expression. What better way to see inside the human soul? Blak resides in Canada, and yes, she is a woman, wife and mother. She’s been writing and drawing since elementary school, and she loves anything that involves the arts. As for family, her daughter is her toughest critic and greatest support!

I post a variety of content such as articles linked to my blog. I will also share images, jokes, or information; whatever inspires me. 99.99 percent of the content is intended for adult viewing. Enough said!